Our Team

Martin Cohen (photographer) is an internationally recognized, award-winning fine artist who has been working in visual media for three decades. His photography has been showcased in galleries and museums around the world; his editorial and commercial work has been published in major news, fashion, lifestyle, and architectural trade magazines.

Mr. Cohen has shot both on assignment and to fulfill his own artistic vision throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the former USSR, resulting in solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Havana, and Amsterdam.

Highlights of the past decade include five trips to Cuba, which he documented in a limited edition book, “La Habana,” and with an acclaimed 2008 photography exposition at the Palais de Glace (Palacio Nacional de las Artes) in Buenos Aires, which was attended by more than 10,000 people, see http://lahabanaphoto.com/.

Mr. Cohen attended the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam and has worked as a director, editor and cinematographer. Combining old school techniques with new technology, he is at home in the darkroom as well as among Giclée process printers. Originally from the Netherlands, Martin currently lives in Santa Monica, California.

Marisa Caichiolo (curator) is the founder of Building Bridges Art Exchange (BBAX), a non-profit contemporary art organization dedicated to cultivating cultural understanding through the arts. The organization works to engage local communities and contemporary artists across the globe by facilitating workshops, educational programs, traveling exhibitions, international art exchanges and artist residencies.

Located in Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station Arts Center, BBAX offers rotating exhibitions from around the world, artist residencies, educational workshops and lectures hosted by a diverse team of artists. Focused on exhibitions that have a social and political focus, BBAX engages with international communities with the help of partners which include ministries of culture, cultural centers, museums and other local non-profits.

Marisa was born in Argentina. She has been an international curator and jury of various biennials and important prizes, working with the Ministry of Culture of Mexico, Chile, Argentina, USA, Qatar, and Sharjah.

A fine artist in her own right, Ms. Caichiolo explores diverse media ranging from video art installation to painting and sculpture. Her work has been exhibited in Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, France, Spain, Japan, Korea, China, and Argentina as well as in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Fe.

She studied at the University of Buenos Aires and has a Master Degree in Art History, Restoration and Psychology.

Liza Asner (associate producer) is originally from Los Angeles but spent 22 years in Portland, OR. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Education from Capella, where she was the recipient of the Helene Krivosha School of Education Scholarship. While in Portland, she worked at KPTV Oregon’s 12, Classroom Law Project, Beaverton Education Foundation, Skamania Lodge, Portland Saturday Market, and entities at the Historic Reserve.

Asner moved back to join Quince Productions in 2011 and co-produces a variety of projects with Ed Asner. She co-produced the Hearts and Minds documentary My Friend Ed, co-produced and cast the staged reading of Two Jews Talking and Two Sisters Talking with Ed Asner, Richard Kind, Sally Struthers and June Squibb. She currently books the one-man show A Man and His Prostate and is production supervisor of the show as well. Asner served on the board of the Saturday Conservatory of Music for several years and was also the Office Manager.

She traveled to Cuba several years ago and feels passionately about launching this project with Martin and Marisa. It is a story that should be told and shared.

Doug Hedlund (associate producer) is helping the Jewish Cuban Renaissance team prepare presentations to investors and bankers. In order to help any of his clients raise the money they need, he “double-teams” with them on three key parts of their fund-raising proposal: (1) business model; (2) written preparation; and (3) presentation delivery.

His specific “deliverables”: (1) business model–creating or revisiting the business reason-for-being vs. competition, and re-thinking the sales & marketing strategy; (2) written preparation–writing a 30-40 page business plan, and a 10-12 page summary/investor presentation from the plan; and (3) delivery–coaching clients on making a compelling investor presentation that gets approved for funding.

Doug was educated at the U.S. Air Force Academy for two years, then earned a BA in journalism at the University of Massachusetts, and an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He lives in Santa Monica, California, and has a long-time interest in the Jewish Cuban Renaissance effort.

DONATE TO RENAISSANCE

All donations are tax deductible under the 501(c)(3) status of Building Bridges Art Exchange.